New York
Discussion
New York, NY: ESSTA Expanded to Include New Qualifying Reasons for Leave
Effective February 22, 2026, amendments to New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) expanded the qualifying reasons for which covered employees may use protected time off to include: caregiving for a minor child or care recipient; attending or preparing for legal proceedings or taking necessary actions related to applying for, maintaining, or reinstating subsistence benefits or housing for the employee, a family member, or a care recipient; meeting with legal or social service providers or taking other protective actions following workplace violence against the employee or a family member; and staying home when a public disaster results in workplace closure, school or childcare closure, or a directive to remain indoors or avoid travel. “Public disaster” includes events such as a fire, explosion, terrorist attack, severe weather event, or emergency declared by the U.S. President, New York Governor, or New York City Mayor. Employers should review and update their written leave policies to reflect the expanded qualifying reasons and distribute updated policies to current employees and new hires.
New York, NY: TSCA Obligations Are Significantly Scaled Back
Effective February 22, 2026, amendments to New York City’s Temporary Schedule Change Act (TSCA) eliminated the requirement that employers approve up to two temporary schedule changes per year for qualifying personal events. This change corresponds to the concurrent expansion of ESSTA’s qualifying reasons for leave, which now covers many of the personal events previously addressed by the TSCA. Employees may still request temporary schedule changes, but employers are no longer obligated to approve them and may instead approve, deny, or propose an alternative, provided they respond as soon as practicable. The TSCA’s anti-retaliation protections remain fully in effect, continuing to safeguard employees who make schedule change requests.
New York: RAISE Act Finalized
On March 27, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the final version of the Responsible AI Safety and Education Act (RAISE Act), which takes effect January 1, 2027, and establishes a range of safety and transparency obligations for developers of large-scale “frontier” AI models. Covered AI models are defined as foundation models trained using specific computing power, by developers with annual revenue exceeding $500 million. Covered developers must publish a Frontier AI Framework describing their approach to catastrophic risk mitigation and cybersecurity, publish transparency reports before deploying new or modified models, submit quarterly summaries of catastrophic risk assessments to a newly established oversight office within the New York Department of Financial Services, and report critical safety incidents within specific deadlines. While the RAISE Act’s direct obligations fall on AI developers rather than employers generally, organizations that develop or substantially customize large-scale AI models should evaluate with legal counsel whether they fall within the law’s scope.
Disclaimer: This document is designed to provide general information and guidance concerning employment-related issues. It is presented with the understanding that ManagEase is not engaged in rendering any legal opinions. If a legal opinion is needed, please contact the services of your own legal adviser. © 2026 ManagEase